Southland Communities Conserve Water, Face Rate Hikes
YORBA LINDA (CBSLA.com) — As Californians reduced water consumption 27 percent last month compared with June 2013, three Southland communities made particularly dramatic reductions in water usage.
According to figures released Thursday, water consumption fell 42 percent in the Antelope Valley Waterworks District, 38 percent in the Yorba Linda Water District and 35 percent in areas served by the San Gabriel Valley Water Co.
Earlier this year, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered an overall 25 percent reduction in urban water use compared to 2013 levels. Communities were given nine months, beginning June 1, to hit their conservation targets, which can go as high as 36 percent.
But as homeowners and businesses help their communities meet Brown's conservation goals, they will also likely be hit with higher water rates as water districts try to make up for dramatic reductions in revenue.
Damon Micalizzi, a spokesman for the Yorba Linda Water District, said the water agency is losing millions of dollars in revenue due to conservation efforts and will likely need to raise rates in October.
"No good deed goes unpunished," Micalizzi told CBS2/KCAL9's Michelle Gile.
